Final CFL Draft Rankings Released

A quintet of Canada West football players were identified in the CFL Scouting Bureau’s April rankings, as announced Tuesday by the CFL.

Topping the 20-player list is Manitoba defensive lineman David Onyemata, who moved up one spot from December’s rankings.

The native of Lagos, Nigeria has made waves in recent months, appearing in January’s East-West Shrine Game in Tampa, Florida before hosting a successful pro day last month in front of scouts from 17 NFL teams and one CFL squad.

Along with Onyemata – the 2015 J.P. Metras award winner as the top down lineman in CIS – a pair of Calgary Dinos made the list, as running back Mercer Timmis (No. 13) and defensive back Elie Bouka (No. 18) are ranked.

Timmis enjoyed another stellar season in the Stampede City despite missing a pair of regular season games to injury. The Burlington, Ont. product was a Canada West first team all-star after finishing second in the conference in rushing yards per game by a running back with 111.Bouka, a speedy defensive back who clocked the fastest 40-yard dash at the East-West Bowl back in May of last year, is one of four defensive backs on the list.

Rounding out Canada West’s representation inside the rankings, which are selected by CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams, is defensive back Taylor Loffler (No. 11) of the defending Vanier Cup champion UBC Thunderbirds.

Loffler was not ranked in the Scouting Bureau’s September rankings, but jumped to No. 9 in the December rankings, before moving just outside the top 10 in the latest rankings.

Canada West CFL prospect rankings set to be released

For the first time Canada West will release its own set of prospect rankings ahead of the CFL Draft, as selected by representatives from the conference’s six football programs.

Canada West’s top 15 draft eligible players will be unveiled Monday, May 2 – just over one week prior to the CFL Draft, which is slated for Tuesday, May 10.